William huey



VHUBY.- 'Egg-Garner and Crate.

i No.- 224,436. Patented Feb. lo, |880.v

my uw' mm WITNESSES: y INVENTOR:

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HUEY,

or vCAMBRIDGE7 MARYLANmAssIGNoR To HIMsELF AND JOSEPH D.,RIGHARDS,.OF SAME PLAGE.

"EGG CARRIER AND CRATE.`

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 224,436, dated February 10, 1880.

Aptiicaiqnmedivovember13,1879i ToV all whom t may concer/n.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HUEY, of Cambridge, in the county of Dorchester and State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Egg Garrierand Crate; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,` in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the egg-cell case, looking into the cells. Fig. 2 is a plan view' of a modification ofthe same when constructed without a permanentbottom.. Figs. Sand 4C are partial plan views of two kinds of detach-y able false bottoms designed tobe used in con-` nection with the case,as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vew'of the joint connecting the ends of the blank which forms the side walls of the cell-case. Fig. 6 is a partial view, in vertical section, of a crate, showing the cellcases as packed therein.V Fig. 7 is an edgeV view of the wooden blank for forming thefour sidewalls of the cell-case. Y y My invention is designed toy provide an im! proved means for transporting eggs and other fragile or perishable articles; and it consists, rst, in a case formed with parallel partitions subdivided into cells for the eggs or other. articles by elastic wings secured flexibly upon one side to the parallel partitions and overlapping at their free ends to form expansible cells or pockets to receive and protect the eggs.

of connecting the rectangular side walls of the cell-case when all fourof said walls are made in one piece, and in the peculiarconstruction of the crate for holding the cell-cases, as hereinafter fully described. Y

In the drawings, A represents the rectangular cell-case, having yparallel partitions B,

the spaces between which are subdivided by' The invention also consists 1n the manner is large enough to contain many more cells tition, so that the wings ofv one partition lap past those of the next, while their rigid portions a' are securely tacked to the partitions. In arranging these win gs those of one partition are so `placed as to'lap inside of the bend of those ofthe next partition, so that the tend- 6o 'adapts the cells to eggs of larger size by expansion, butforms an elastic lateral bearing for the eggs tohold them in-place and prevent breakage. Y Y y In order to facilitate the removal ofthe eggs 7o 'at the end of the route, two methods of construction -may be resorted to. method, the cell-case may have aiy permanent As the first bottom, C, and the partitions B' and their .wings be made detachable, so as to slide in or out of grooves in the side walls, as shown in Fig. l, in which casethe partitions are rst removed andtheeggs left remaining on the bottom, sothat they can be readily grasped by the hand for removal. l

As the second method, I may fix the partitions B rigidly in theside walls of the case and dispense with the bottom C tothe case, as shown in Fig; 2. In this event I employ a subjacent or supplemental bottom, D, with `each cell-case,1 and remove the eggs byrst lifting oi Vfrom them theentire cell-case with its partition and subdividing wings, leaving the eggsresti'ng looseupon the false bottom I), from which they may be readily removed. -9o This false bottom I may either make inthe form of a partitioned frame, as in Fig. 3, or-

in the form of a canvas or cloth diaphragm stretched in a marginal frame, as in Fig. 4.

I do not claim, however, these supplemental frames or false bottoms as being new in themselves, but may iind it desirable to use them in connection with the feature of my invention before described.- v 4 In constructing the rectangular side walls of Ioo the cell-ease I make them ot' a single piece of straight stuff, as shown in Fig. 7, which is grooved at four points, b, by the machine at the same time it is cut.

I do not claim to be the first to eut the blank for a box and groove itfor bending in the same short end c at more than a right angle (see Fig. 5) until its outer uncut side inclincs to the angle of the cut in the other end, c. This secures for me a double result. [n the iirstplace, when the part-s are glued I do not have to glue against the ends of the grain of the wood on both faces of the joint, but on one face have the smooth, straight, and uncut grain, which gives greater adhesive power for the glue. In the second place, by making the taper the same at both ends, or, in other words, by making the feather-edge ofthe taper on the same side of the board, I am enabled to cut these beveled edges at the ends of the blank by the same machine and in the same operation which cuts the blank from a block and grooves it. In making use of this feature of my invention I do not contine the same to its application in a cell-case, as the saine principle ofjoining the walls ot' the rectangular case may be applied to a crate or other form of box.

In shipping the cellcases they are arranged in the crate in tiers, one above another, with the false bottoms intervening, it' false bottoms are used.

This crate I construct with bot-tom corner strips, E, Fig. 6, having a groove at the top and two upon its inner sides. ,Into these two grooves of the bottom corner strip, E,are fitted the two bottoms F F ot' the crate, between which is interposed a lining of pasteboard, g.

In the upper groove ot' the strip E is arranged the lower edge of the inner wall, G, of the crate, in which the grain runs vertically, while around the outside of this wall Gr is arranged the single bent blank G', forming the outer wall, in which the grain runs horizontally, as in the egg-cell case, and between which inner and outer wall a layer of pasteboard,h, is interposed. This construction of crate is not only very strong, but is proof against extreme heat or cold, and leaves a projecting ledge, f, upon the inside, which constitutes a marginal support which sustains the first cell-case.

With respect to the double-walled structure of the crate with a non-conducting lining between, I would state that I do not claim this, broadly, as I am aware that itis a common construction in refrigerator boxes. When, however, the corner strip is constructed with its grooves and the shoulder f, it not only gives room for connecting the two walls, but it makes a solid corner to resist the knocks to which this portion of a crate is subjectethand its shoulder f, by sustaining the bottom cellease at its edges, allows the bottom of the same to have springing room when set down suddenly. and thus avoid such concussion on the bottom of the cell-cases as would result in the breaking of the eggs.

By the above-described apparatus I have a complete and effective device for shipping eggs and other perishable or fragile commodities, which is strong, substantial, and easily manipulated, securing perfect protection against breakage withoutembodying such great weight as to involve heavy express charges.

Having thus described myl invention, what I claim as new is- 1. An egg-carrier or cell-case consisting of an inclosing-frame having partitions, as described, and subdividing flexible wings, withl the free ends ofthe wings of one partition overlapping the free ends of the wings of the next partition, substantially as described.

2. An egg-carrier or cell-case consisting of an inclosing-frame having partitions, as described, and iiexible overlapping wings, with the free ends of the wings of one partition arranged within the bend of the wings of the next partition, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with accll-case having a permanent bottom, of a set ot detachable partitions having subdividing exible wings fixed to the partition at one end and free at the other, as set forth.

4. A rectangular box or case frame having its side walls bent from a single piece of material and cut with the same bevel at the ends c c', and said ends ce united with the straight surface of c contiguous to the cross-cut surface of c', as set forth.

5. A crate having a corner strip, E, constructed with grooves to receive the side and bottom walls of' the crate, combined with said walls, as described, with the wall G set away from the inner edge of the strip, so as to leave a marginal supporting ledge or shoulder, f, for the eases, as described.

VILLIAM H UEY.

Witnesses:

J osEPH BRADsHAw, LEvrN J. BALLARD.

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